The Gorgeous Kitchen

Four British female TV chefs have opened a new kitchen at Heathrow Airport’s Terminal 2.

The four chefs include the former chef at Kensington Palace, Gee Charman; the Executive Chef of Pont St. at Belgraves Hotel, Sophie Michell; best-selling author Jo Pratt; and self-made momtrepreneur, Caroline Mi Li Artiss.

The Gorgeous Kitchen fired up its ovens and unleashed its knife block for the first time on 4th June 2014. The unique collaboration between the chefs is part of the airport’s regeneration project and has already proved popular with visitors to the airport.

The Gorgeous Kitchen invites diners in for a selection of seasonal dishes throughout the day and offers a charming area to eat and drink in. Beautiful and specialised global cuisine, made by utilising British-produce, is what the female chefs serve up at the new diner and it is certainly mouth-watering.

The menus that have been devised by Sophie, Gee, Jo and Caroline have been made to ensure a tantalising taste experience for any customer who wishes to try the culinary experience. By merging their combination of skills and talents, all four chefs are bringing something to the kitchen and promising to deliver a diverse selection of flavoursome dishes that suit all types of guests.

Some of the dishes that are going on the menu include Thai beef noodle salad and butternut squash and ricotta ravioli; grilled aubergine served with mozzarella and a warm chick pea salsa; and monkfish and tiger prawn coconut curry.

The menu is fresh, inspired and contemporary and coupled with a speedy service, is likely to result in very satisfied customers prior to their flights. The speed of service of course is very significant and necessary for time-pressed travellers who wish to enjoy a meal within about 15 minutes. Additionally the restaurant serves a ‘gorgeous’ afternoon tea from midday, for travellers who wish to try a classic British treat.

Having expressed that this is as one of their most exhilarating projects to date, the four females said:

“We’re overjoyed to be flying the flag for Britain on such an international platform. For us, The Gorgeous Kitchen is about delivering honest flavours with quality produce and great British hospitality in a warm and approachable environment. Essentially it’s a business lounge for non-business travellers, without the exclusivity and with real feel-good food. We want Heathrow’s passengers to feel like their holiday has just begun.”

The character and appeal of the whole dining concept has been created in conjunction with HMSHost International, the world’s leading creator of dining experiences for travel venues; and London’s award-winning designer Blacksheep. Having integrated modern sophistication and classic influences from Europe’s warm and atmospheric café-restaurants, the interior of the restaurant also reflects the personalities of the four individual chefs.

The eatery covers up to 120 passengers welcoming business passengers, families as well as solo travellers for a short culinary experience prior to their flights. The restaurant contains an open theatre kitchen, counter dining, banquette seating and impressive airfield views. This is complimented by the textured interior palette lifted with copper elements and subtle halo lighting.

The new Terminal 2 is the most recent transformation of the ten-year, £11 billion conversion of Heathrow. The new terminal also opened its doors on June 4th 2014, and will ultimately serve the 20 million passengers that travel yearly with 23 Star Alliance airlines, in addition to Aer Lingus, Virgin Atlantic Little Red and germanwings airlines.

Heathrow T2

Terminal 2: The Queen’s Terminal Phase One, is a £2.5 billion development built in the centre of the world’s busiest international airport. Each unit at Terminal 2 received an average of five proposals, surpassing the tender process for Terminal 5. One of the largest privately funded construction projects in the UK supporting 35,000 jobs across the country, Terminal 2 will have 67 outlets in total including shops, bars and restaurants.

An average of 55,000 passengers will arrive and depart from the Terminal daily once in full operation. The old Terminal 2 opened in 1955, shut after 54 years of service in 2009. Heathrow has been named ‘Best Airport for Shopping’ four times in a row at the Skytrax World Airport Awards, independently voted for by passengers (2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013).

HMSHost

HMSHost is a global leader in creating dining experiences for travel venues, and is part of Autogrill Group, the world’s leading provider of F&B and retail services for people on the move. Operating in more than 100 airports around the globe, including 15 European airports and the 20 busiest airports in North America, the company has annual sales in excess of $2.5 billion and employs over 34,000 sales associates worldwide.

Sideland Projects ltd

With over 20 years experience in the industry as a consultant for BAA and later Head of Retail Facilities Management for Heathrow Airport, Phil Prosser set up the Sideland Group ltd a decade ago.

Phil’s role is that of Director and Project Manager, building teams to meet the specific challenges of each individual project.

The company mainly specialises in retail fit outs within complex environments such as airports and railway stations.

Sideland are retained by Network Rail and Transport for London to assist with the delivery of retail projects.

Most recently Sideland have been engaged by HMS Host to help develop their retail presence in the UK; of the Gorgeous Kitchen project at Heathrow T2 Phil said:

“This was a complex services led project, a new build in a fantastic location, we needed to design and build a scheme that kept the open feel of the space whilst creating an exceptional environment for fine dining. We worked closely with Heathrow’s leadership team to deliver this scheme.

“Clients tend to involve me on day one of a scheme, giving me a great opportunity to evolve with the project and really get immersed. I will assemble the key delivery suppliers based on an in depth understanding of their strengths; I will also act as key liaison with landlords and internal and external stakeholders. I will set the project milestones and support the team to deliver timely projects that are value for money.”

When asked what the company prides itself on, Phil added:

“Sideland thrives in challenging and dynamic environments, having a services background we build with life cycle maintenance at the forefront of our decision making. We also pride ourselves in the concept of delivering great projects cost effectively, on time and most importantly compliantly.”

Elite Shopfitters Ltd

Elite Shopfitters Ltd is a bespoke joinery manufacturer and corian fabricator. The company has been in operation since 1990 and within this time has worked on many prestigious projects including St Martin in the Fields, Mandarin Oriental, London Coliseum, St Pancras Station, several major UK airports and the Eurotunnel, UK and France.

Elite has been working with HMS Host for the last 18 months. To date, the company has completed several projects including, Burger King, Starbucks, La Gare Restaurant, Leon Restaurant, Harvest Market and Bagel Street. Most recently there are two major projects at the new Heathrow T2 terminal, a Leon restaurant and the Gorgeous Kitchen fine dining restaurant, both unique in design and quality.

Elite has provided on both projects the design, bespoke joinery and finishes package to an extremely high standard as is expected from both its Client and BAA at Heathrow. Elite has continued to develop a strong working relationship with HMS Host and the company looks forward to continuing this relationship on future projects.

Elite Shopfitters Ltd Managing Director, Adrian Stockhill, said:

“At Elite Shopfitters Ltd we pride ourselves on our excellent quality workmanship. We are reliable and always accomplish what we set out to do.”